An ink jet print head includes a piezoelectric actuator that provides energy to eject ink from the print head through a nozzle onto a medium (e.g. paper). Over time and use, the piezoelectric actuator may begin to fail. For example, the piezoelectric actuator may structurally degrade, the material making up the piezoelectric actuator may “de-pole,” or the adhesive material bonding the piezoelectric actuator to the membrane of the ejection chamber may degrade.
To sense whether the piezoelectric actuator is operating properly, the print head ejects ink onto the medium, and then the image on the medium is analyzed for irregularities in the ink. This information may be fed back to the print engine for print process adjustment or print head maintenance. What is needed, therefore, is an improved system and method for sensing degradation of piezoelectric actuators.